People affected by power project warn of protest

MANSEHRA: The land affectees of 840 megawatts Suki Kinari hydropower project have threatened to stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in the provincial capital if the government didn’t pay the prices of their land as per market rate.

“The government has acquired our land and houses for Suki Kinari dam but we are still without prices and other incentives as announced by the government,” Junaid Ali Qasim, a member of district council told a news conference at press club on Tuesday.

A group of affected people led by Junaid Ali Qasim said that the hydropower project, which was being built at Kunhar river in Kaghan valley under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiatives, was aimed at overcoming electricity shortfall in the country but those rendered sacrifices for it were being denied their due rights.

“The district administration had signed a memorandum of understanding with the landowners agreeing to pay market prices of their land, but now paying throwaway prices which is unacceptable to us at any cost,” said Qasim. Speaking on the occasion, Waqas Shah said affectees would come onto streets if the government attempted to deprive them of proper compensation.